Ventilated ceiling construction



P 1963 M. J. KODARAS 3,103,868

VENTILATED CEILING CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 19. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Max/1 J 1004245 p 17, 1963 M. J. KODARAS 3,103,868

VENTILATED CEILING CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19. 1960 i L In, '11., n. I

4 8 l o O O O 50 O Kl (47 k 45 IN VEN TOR. flmxma J. woo/424s United States Patent 3,103,868 VENTELATED CEILING CQNSTRUCTKON Michael J. Kodaras, Scottsdale, NE! assigncr to Elof Hansscn, Inn, a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 19, 19%, Ser. No. 76,731 6 Claims. (Cl. 98-40) The present invention relates to ventilating ceiling constructions and novel ventilating elements therefor, and is applicable to the type of ceiling construction in which the space between the suspended ceiling, below the main ceiling, floor slab or roof slab is a substantially air-tight plenum, to which air may be introduced with conventional duct work for ventilation, and if desired, also for heating or cooling the room, but the invention is applicable also in relations in which the how of air is in reverse direction.

The term panel as used in the claims is generic to the elements of a suspended ceiling, whether rectangular or square, commonly called panel or tile respectively.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a ventilated ceiling construction, in which no modification of the ordinary panel or tile construction or of the main suspension members is required for fiow of air through the suspended ceiling, but in which the ventilation is effectively accomplished with the conventional construction of non-porous, non-acoustical or acoustical panels.

Among other objects is to provide a ventilating ceiling construction of the above type, in which the ventilating structure, or by which air is propelled from the plenum to the room, or conversely, is inexpensive in construction, and carried by and between neighboring panels, and is readily adjustable to control at will, the degree of ventilation or air flow between those edges of any pair of neighboring panels that are parallel to the usual furring channels or other suspension members.

It is a feature of the invention to interpose between those edges of each pair of adjacent peripherally kerfed panels that are parallel to the furring channels, a ventilating spline with lateral fins accommodated in the corresponding kerfs of the panels between which the spline is placed and to form the body of each spline hollow with ventilating slots in the face thereof, through which air will flow from the plenum to the room or from the room to the plenum, as the case may be.

Another feature is to provide the spline with a slide having a track guide in the spline, said slide having apertures which, according to the adjustment will determine the degree of ventilation or air flow into or out of the room, as the case may be, the slide being shorter than the spline, to permit slide adjustment of any ventilating spline without disturbing the slide of the next spline aligned therewith.

Another feature is the construction of the spline as an article of manufacture, which in one embodiment is of plastic, if desired of translucent plastic for adaptation to mild artificial illumination through the suspended ceiling by the installation of appropriate lamps within the plenum.

Another feature is the construction of a ventilating spline in which a U-shaped body has lateral fins at opposite sides, extending the length thereof for accommodation in the kerfs of the respective neighboring panels to carry the spline by each panel, and to provide the ventilating control means in the form of a cap over the U, with perforations, the position of which relative to those in the base of the U of the body will determine the degree of ventilation, depending upon the position in which the cap is set.

Another feature is the construction of a duplex ventilating spline, the elements of which are identical, ex-

"ice

cept the U-shaped body of one element is taller, generally /8", while that of the other is less tall, generally A. The fins of one of the spline structures are longer than those of the other, over the free edges of which the excess length is bent for assembly of the two structures into a unit. There is but a single cap for both components, the less tall component being used for bevelled panels to expose the bevels, while the taller one is used for unbevelled panels so that the body of the spline may come substantially flush with the exposed face of the suspended ceiling. The cap is readily removable for mounting on one or the other component and is at the side, above the fins, by preference.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the installed ventilating ceiling in one of its embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on a larger scale, showing one embodiment of ventilating spline as installed in the kerfs of adjoining panels;

16. 3 is a perspective view of a spline construction, on a smaller scale and with parts broken away;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on a larger scale, showing another embodiment of duplex ventilating spline, as installed between a pair of unbevelled panels;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to 'FIG. 4, showing the duplex spline installed between a pair of bevelled panels,

' FIG. 6 is a perspective view on a larger scale, of a fragment of the spline of FIGS. 4 or 5,

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the spline body of FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 and,

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 of the associated venting cap.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the ventilating ceiling construction in its general outline includes a suspended ceiling S, which is hung from the main ceiling,

floor slab or roof slab C, in any conventional manner. In a well known construction of this type, metal furring U- channels it at intervals usually of four feet (but which interval may be greater or less than four feet), are hung in parallel relation from the ceiling, floor or roof slab C, by means of wires w attached as at '12 to the ceiling C, and connected as at 13 to the furring channels and thus suspended from the main ceiling. Extending in parallel relation, at right angles to the furring chanels '10 are the carrying bars 15 for the panels P of the suspended ceiling. As conventional, these carrying bars may be H bars or 2 bars. The carrying bars 15 are connected by conventional fastening means 16 to the tuning channels 19, and with the flanges of the H or Z of said carrying bars embracing the panels P, and thus supporting the suspended ceiling. Each panel P of the suspended ceiling may be either of the non-acoustical, or the acoustical or sound conditioning type.

In addition to the carrying bars 15, extending between and carrying the corresponding ends of a row of panels, there are extreme edge channels 15' embracing the extreme edges of the suspended ceiling, and engaging the wall W, to assure substantial air-tightness of the plenum, to which air under pressure is admitted through port A in wall W.

Each rectangular panel is commonly manufactured with a kerf 20" along its entire periphery, usually about one inch deep and about inch thick.

According to the invention, the venting is effected by vent splines V of suitable material, in the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3, desirably of thermoplastic material. The plastic spline may be formed as a U-shaped body with a base 21, and legs 22 extending at right angles thereto.

Pins 23 and 24 extend outwardly from both sides of the base 21 of the U body and integrally therewith.

The base 21 of the U body has vent slots 26, which may desirably extend longitudinally of the base of the spline body. These slots are desirably in the order of one inch long and one-eighth A3) inch wide and spaced at intervals of about one inch and symmetrically of the base. In a commercial embodiment the slots 26 are seven-eighths inch long and one-eighth 0A3) inch wide. The distance between successive slots is fifteen sixteenths inch in that embodiment.

For controlling the venting, a slide 28, desirably of plastic, with vent apertures therethrough, is slidably mounted in contact with the under face of the base 21. To this end, the slide 28 is preferably in the form of a U with face 30 and legs 31.

The legs 22 of the U body of the spline V are thinned from the base 21, desirably for about /s" as at 32 to afford shoulders 33 upon which rest the edges of the legs 31 of the inverted U slide 28. The base 30 of the slide 28 has slots 35, desirably of about the same length and width as slots 26 in the spline body. As shown, the spline is inserted with the legs of the U of the body facing downward and extending to near the suspended ceilmg.

The lateral fins 23 of the ventilating spline, which may be of thickness of X and length of extend into corresponding kerfs 20 of the panels, at opposite sides of the spline and between which such spline is mounted and by which that spline is thus carried. For security of mount of the ventilating spline between a pair of panels, each plastic fin 23 desirably has ribs 36 on the under face thereof for frictional retention in the corresponding kerf 20 of the associated panel.

It is easy to adjust the amount of ventilation afforded at any one venting spline, for adequacy and avoidance of draft at any one location, by resort to an ice pick or the like, for adjusting the position of the slide 28 to afford the desired amount of air flow.

While it is ordinarily desired to make the spline body of overall width of about one-fourth 04") inch, it is within the scope of the invention to make the spline body and its fins of transparent plastic such as methacrylate, and to provide lamps, fluorescent or incandescent, within the plenum so as to afford desired illumination through the ventilating spline. To this end the spline body could, if desired, be made of width greater than one-fourth 4') inch, which is otherwise ordinarily preferred.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 8, the venting spline, preferably of sheet metal, comprises a U-shaped body 40 of sheet metal, with lateral fins 41 unitary therewith, extending outward at right angles from the edges 42 of the legs 42 of the body 40. The spline body may be in the order of one-fourth PA") inch wide and of length desirably not less than one inch shorter than that of the corresponding edge of the supporting panels therefor. The body of the spline at the base 43 of the U, desirably has slots 44 of length in the order of one inch, spaced at intervals 45 in the order of one inch, such slots being of width of about one-eight 43) inch.

A ventilation adjustment cap 46 is mounted over the base of the U-shaped spline body. This cap is desirably of sheet metal as is the spline itself, and is generally U- shaped, with a base 47 and legs 48.

For aflixing the cap to the spline and affording a guide for sliding adjustment of the cap, the cap is curved in ward as at 49 near the free ends of its legs 48 for accommodation in corresponding grooves 50 in the legs of the U-shaped spline body 40.

The venting adjustment cap 46 is equipped with venting adjustment holes 39 desirably in sequences, each hole one eight /8) inch in diameter, with their centers at intervals of three-eighths /3") inch, each sequence of holes being spaced by about one inch from the next sequence.

While the construction shown and described, is itself a complete venting spline in which the fins 41, are of thickness to be lodged in kerfs 20 of the panels P at the opposite sides of the ventilating spline V carried thereby, it is desirable and preferable to fabricate the ventilating spline in the duplex construction shown, in which in addition to the ventilating spline structure described, the body of which may be illustratively one-fourth (AU) inch high, there is a second similar spline body 51, the body of which is higher, i.e., three-eighths inch high, but which is otherwise identical with that described, except that the fins 52 are overlapped at their ends 53 over the edges of fins 41 of the companion member, to assemble the two elements together.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the spline body 51 would be used with unbevelled panels, so that the spline body 51 comes substantially flush with the exposed face of the suspended ceiling. The companion spline body 40 would be exposed, as in FIG. 5, with panels having edges bevelled as at 55, so that element 40 is above and exposes the bevels 55. The adjustment cap may readily be snapped on that body of the duplex structure, which is concealed when mounted in place, for access by an ice pick or the like, through the longer slots 44 in the exposed body to the holes 39 in the cap thereabove.

Thus, the invention in each of its embodiments affords an inexpensive ventilating expedient for a suspended ceiling, which involves no modification of any character whatsoever, in the standard construction of the panels, tiles or suspension members of the suspended ceiling, requires no porosity or perforating of the panels for ventilating, and which does not detract in any manner from the appearance of the suspended ceiling and which lends itself to a variety of effects.

The spline portion exposed to view could be made of the same color as the panels or, if desired, could be be made of contrasting color or finish, for desired decorative effect.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a ventilated ceiling construction of the type having a plenum chamber, including a ceiling suspended below the main ceiling, said suspended ceiling comprising furring channels hung from the main ceiling, channels extending at right angles to the fur-ring channels and secured thereto, said suspended ceiling comprising rectangular panels, each having a kerf in and extending the length of each edge thereof, the channels having out-turned flanges lodged in said kerfs and mounting the panels; the combination therewith of vent splines mounted between the panels and carried thereby, each vent spline comprising an elongated U'shaped member having an elongated body portion with a pair of spaced parallel depending legs, each of the legs having a longitudinal groove in its inner surface extending the length thereof and defining a shoulder parallel to and near the top of each leg, a pair of fins extending laterally outwardly from the elongated body portion of the vent spline along the length thereof lodged in the corresponding kerfs of the adjacent panels and carried thereby, with the elongated body portion of the spline intervening between the adjacent edges of the panels, said elongated body portion having apertures therethrough for passage of air between the plenum and the adjacent room, an elongated U-shaped venting control channel lodged between the legs of the vent spline with the edges of the legs of the U-shaped member engaging the shoulders longitudinally of the body and slidable therealong, the body portion of said U-shaped member between the legs thereof having apertures therethrough, which by movement of the venting control channel may be set into any desired position relative to the apertures through the body of the spline and for control of air movement through the ventilating spline.

2. The combination recited in claim 1, in which the spline is of thermoplastic material and the fins on the spline are longitudinally ribbed for enhanced gripping eifectiveness in the kerfs of the panels.

3. The combination recited in claim 1, in which the spline is of translucent thermoplastic material, for illumination of the room through said ventilating splines when lighting means are provided within the plenum.

4. For use as a ventilating spline, alternatively with suspended ventilating ceiling structures having bevelled panels and said ceilings with unbevelled panels, a spline structure consisting of a U-shaped body member, having lateral fins unitary with the free ends of the legs of the U, and a complementary U-shaped body member with lateral fins extending outward from the free ends of the legs of the U, means connecting the fins of the two cornplementary body members in a superposed relation the length of the legs of the first U-shaped body member being greater than the length of the legs of the complementary U-shaped body member, each of the legs of each body member having a fastening conformation, and a single vent control cap having a fastening conformation complementary to the fastening conformations on the legs of each body member, for attachment interchangeably to that body member which extends above the fins when the body member is in position, the first body member being below the fins for unbevelled panels, and the complementary body being below the fins for bevelled panels, each of the body members having a base with venting slots therefinrough and said cap having venting openings movable into alignment with said slo 5. The combination recited in claim 4, in which the slots in the body member are in the order of one (1") inch long, one-eight /8) inch wide, and longitudinally spaced at intervals in the order of one (1") inch, and in which the venting openings in the cap are in sets of a sequence of small holes, which sequences are spaced from each other at about the same distance as intervenes between successive slots in the body of the spline.

6. The combination recited in claim 4, in which the cap and the legs of said body have complementary indentations extending the length thereof for sliding guide of the cap with respect to the spline body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A VENTILATED CEILING CONSTRUCTION OF THE TYPE HAVING A PLENUM CHAMBER, INCLUDING A CEILING SUSPENDED BELOW THE MAIN CEILING, SAID SUSPENDED CEILING COMPRISING FURRING CHANNELS HUNG FROM THE MAIN CEILING, CHANNELS EXTENDING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE FURRING CHANNELS AND SECURED THERETO, SAID SUSPENDED CEILING COMPRISING RECTANGULAR PANELS, EACH HAVING A KERF IN AND EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF EACH EDGE THEREOF, THE CHANNELS HAVING OUT-TURNED FLANGES LODGED IN SAID KERFS AND MOUNTING THE PANELS; THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF VENT SPLINES MOUNTED BETWEEN THE PANELS AND CARRIED THEREBY, EACH VENT SPLINE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED U-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED BODY PORTION WITH A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL DEPENDING LEGS, EACH OF THE LEGS HAVING A LONGITUDINAL GROOVE IN ITS INNER SURFACE EXTENDING THE LENGTH THEREOF AND DEFINING A SHOULDER PARALLEL TO AND NEAR THE TOP OF EACH LEG, A PAIR OF FINS EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE ELONGATED BODY PORTION OF THE VENT SPLINE ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF LODGED IN THE CORRESPONDING KERFS OF THE ADJACENT PANELS AND CARRIED THEREBY, WITH THE ELONGATED BODY PORTION OF THE SPLINE INTERVENING BETWEEN THE ADJACENT EDGES OF THE PANELS, SAID ELONGATED BODY PORTION HAVING APERTURES THERETHROUGH FOR PASSAGE OF AIR BETWEEN THE PLENUM AND THE ADJACENT ROOM, AN ELONGATED U-SHAPED VENTING CONTROL CHANNEL LODGED BETWEEN THE LEGS OF THE VENT SPLINE WITH THE EDGES OF THE LEGS OF THE U-SHAPED MEMBER ENGAGING THE SHOULDERS LONGITUDINALLY OF THE BODY AND SLIDABLE THEREALONG, THE BODY PORTION OF SAID U-SHAPED MEMBER BETWEEN THE LEGS THEREOF HAVING APERTURES THERETHROUGH, WHICH BY MOVEMENT OF THE VENTING CONTROL CHANNEL MAY BE SET INTO ANY DESIRED POSITION RELATIVE TO THE APERTURES THROUGH THE BODY OF THE SPLINE AND FOR CONTROL OF AIR MOVEMENT THROUGH THE VENTILATING SPLINE. 